Cinnamon Apple Focaccia

Bread making can get a little bit addictive. If I find a recipe that works I like to try it over and over again, changing ingredients each time, until we can eat no more...until the next time.

A couple of weeks ago it was breadsticks, of which I made a few batches, including garlic & rosemary and Pecan Raisin. The same dough can be made into focaccia and each time I saved a little and made a small focaccia, which was lovely and light and airy. This time I wanted to make one big focaccia but with a bit of a difference to the regular savoury breads, as I wanted to add apples and cinnamon. I'm not sure of the standard definition of a focaccia and I apologise if this is not a true focaccia but as it's the same basic dough recipe that's what I'm calling it.

I wish I could say that all of these lovely apples are from the tree in our garden, but I can't as they have long since been eaten, so I used gala apples, from Asda! Don't they look great in my antique apple buckets though (more on those another time). I didn't bother to peel the apples, firstly because I don't like waste and secondly because I'm too lazy. I also proved the bread in the pan that I baked it in, to save on additional washing up.

Cinnamon Apple Focaccia

for the apples
5 small apples, cored & cut into bitesize pieces
75g light soft brown sugar
10g cinnamon
50g butter

for the dough
350g strong white bread flour - I used Tesco Finest very strong white bread flour

7g yeast
50g light soft brown sugar

75ml olive oil 

280ml cool water (approx)

• Mix the apples, sugar, cinnamon & butter together in a large microwaveable bowl
• Cover with clingfilm and cook for 8 minutes, stirring halfway through
• Take out the apple and set aside to cool, leaving the cinnamon sauce in the bowl
• Cover the bowl loosely and microwave the sauce for approx 5 minutes, stirring regularly and being careful not to burn it, then set it aside
• Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, oil and half of the water together in a food mixer
• Add the rest of the water with the motor running until you get a thick cake like batter, adding more water if necessary
• Mix for approx 10 mins on high speed
• Stir in around 200g of the cooled apples
• Put dough into a large rectangular plastic food box or a well oiled roasting pan
• Prove for approx 2 hours
• If you have used a roasting pan to prove the dough you will not need to turn it out but if you proved in a box you will need to turn out carefully onto a well oiled baking sheet
• Press some or all of the remaining apples into the dough and drizzle with some of the cinnamon sauce 
• Bake in a 200 C oven for approx 15 minutes until golden on the top
• Remove from the oven and drizzle with more cinnamon sauce
• Delicous served warm or cold, on it's own or (if you're a bit weird like me) with slices of cheddar cheese - perfect for Christmas!

I was sent the Tesco Finest flour to use in my baking as part of the Great Bloggers Bake Off 

#LoveEveryMouthful